Custom Mule Deer Rifle - The Right Caliber?

[Jeff W.]

After a 20-year hiatus from big game hunting here in the wild west, my sons and I are excited about getting back into deer hunting. I currently shoot 100/200/300 NBRSA competitions and I am addicted to custom rifles. Accordingly, I want to have a custom rifle built with deer hunting as its primary purpose. I've already got a list of the components I want to use; however, deciding on the right caliber has me asking some serious questions. Back in the day when I did alot of big game hunting in Arizona, I used a 30x338 magnum that sent a 165-grain bullet out of the barrel at over 3100 fps. I don't mind wildcat rounds as I do all my own reloading.

Any recommendations, comments or suggestions on great deer calibers would be appreciated.

PS - I will be hunting primarily in AZ with the occasional safari to UT, NV, NM, ID & CO.

[wingmaster36]

Jeff,

How about a 308 Norma? Ballistically equal to your ole 30-338 you used to have and just a neat conversational cartridge. It had a brief day in the sun before the winchester killed it. I would like to build one some day myself, but for now I'll keep shooting my 7mm Rem mag. Anyway that's my .02 on cartridge choice.

[Don Fischer]

With your background you know there is no right calibre. I have a strong preference for 6.5 and 7mm's. I don't like magnums however. I have now a 6.5-06 with a 25" Shilen barrel, med mag weight It is to heavy for carrying around, 9 1/2# without ammo. Were I building one for deer hunting I would go with a 23" barrel and a lighter taper. For now if I hunt deer, it's my 6.5x55, mod 70 Featherweight. if I needed another rifle I would be very tempted to try the 260 Rem.

In the 6.5-06 I've shot a number of deer using the 140gr Hornady SP. Think its to strong though but it has worked very well on two elk. I would change to the 129gr SP. That is a bullet I'm fooling with in both rifles and I like it. My 6.5x55 will come awful close to the 6.5-06 velocity wise in the mod 70 action. It did in my ex wifes mauser supreme action also. As I recall I was pushing the 140 gr bullet a bit under 2900fps with the 6.5x55.

I thought about going to the new Hornady bonded bullet but rejected it after seeing the price. As long as I've chosen a suitable bullet for the cartridge I was using, cup and core bullets have never failed me. I've used a lot of Hornady's and the old Speer hot cores. some Sierra's but don't like them for hunting except critters and great for targets. 140gr 6.5 SMK is a kick butt bullet,,,,for targets!

cartridge's and bullet's I have used:
338 Win Mag 200 gr Speer, 225gr Hornady (if overkill does exist, this is it!)
308 Win 165gr Hornady SP
7mm rem mag 160gr Speer hot core
7x57 139gr and 154gr Hornady, 140gr Sierra (wouldn't recommend it, to explosive)
6.5-06 140gr Hornady
6.5x55 140gr Hornady
25-06 100gr and 117gr Hornady (use the 117gr mostly)
6mm Rem 100 gr Hornady
243 Win 87gr and 100gr Hornady. ( think I would try the 90gr Nosler today. Not a 6mm fan except for preditors)

How about building a rifle just for deer. I'd use a mod 70 action and any good 22" or 23" barrel, I like Shilen's, have two. Chamber it for 6.5x55 top with a good 2-7x scope and shoot 125gr Nosler, 129gr Hornady or 130gr Swift, whichever shot best. Just had a thought.

EDIT

Forgot to mention I also used the 280 Rem with the 139 gr Hornady, good choice!

[killerbee]

in my opinion, look at weatherby for hard to match hunting guns. if you want an increadibly flat shooting deer gun, why not the .257 weatherby? you can search all day and you will have a tough time topping that gun balistically in any custom built gun for deer hunting. if you want a bigger gun you can't beat the .300 weatherby[ but to big for deer IMO]. these custom companies--i.e. H.S. precicion, christiansen [sp??] arms, Lazzaronie [sp??], they all are awsome. but still they are not topping the weatherby rounds by much. i dont want to come across wrong- but how can you justify wanting to build these custom guns, then not wanting to shoot the best bullets to go with them because of the price? core- lok bullets have killed more animals than any bullet out there, but so has a 30-30 rifle. and you could never argue that it is even in the top 25 hunting cartridges available now. if your going to be into gun ballistics then you cant stop at the bullets your shooting. that could be the most important part of the whole subject?????

[Jeff W.]

in my opinion, look at weatherby for hard to match hunting guns... i dont want to come across wrong- but how can you justify wanting to build these custom guns, then not wanting to shoot the best bullets to go with them because of the price? if your going to be into gun ballistics then you cant stop at the bullets your shooting. that could be the most important part of the whole subject?????

killerbee:

Thanks for the input. The main reason I was looking at a custom gun was to get exactly the components (action, barrel, stock, etc) I want. My Dad is a Weatherby afficianado and I completely agree that they are great performing guns/calibers. Because I do all my own reloading, I definately will make sure that whatever the caliber I ultimately choose, it will use the best brass, powder and bullets I can find.

Keep the comments coming. Thanks.

[Hiker]

For only deer and I was hunting the west......my favorite caliber would be between a 25-06 and a .270, KB's .257Weatherby would be a great choice too. that 6.5 06 sounds interesting too.

[TheGreatwhitehunter]

The 6.5 x 284 Norma would be my first choice I also like the .257 Weatherby.

[skull krazy]

+1 for Weatherby's
I shoot both the 300wby in MarkV rifles (I have two) and a 30-378wby.
One "Deluxe", one "Alaskan" and one "Accu Mark".
I am not all that impressed with the 30-378, it really doesn't have that much over my .300's...except for the cost of ammo. I HAVE seen the 30-378 perfrorm like a dream in custom rifles with barrels around 29" versus Weatherby's standard 26" in the Accu Mark, maybe someday i'll rebarrel mine or get rid of it.
As for other Weatherby calibers, both the 257 and 270 wby mags are nothing short of incredible, but their 7MM is not worth the money.....the 7mm Ultra Mag blows it out of the water.

[killerbee]

+1 for Weatherby's
I shoot both the 300wby in MarkV rifles (I have two) and a 30-378wby.
One "Deluxe", one "Alaskan" and one "Accu Mark".
I am not all that impressed with the 30-378, it really doesn't have that much over my .300's...except for the cost of ammo. I HAVE seen the 30-378 perfrorm like a dream in custom rifles with barrels around 29" versus Weatherby's standard 26" in the Accu Mark, maybe someday i'll rebarrel mine or get rid of it.
As for other Weatherby calibers, both the 257 and 270 wby mags are nothing short of incredible, but their 7MM is not worth the money.....the 7mm Ultra Mag blows it out of the water.

i agree with 100% of that post! the 30-378 , for the cost of shooting, doesn't justify with it's performance. 7mm- the one weatherby cartridge that i dont care for at all.

[Don Fischer]

Just a thought, how do you envision this rifle being used?